In January of 1977, I turned ten-years-old. And around that time, I would up getting my second book collection of vintage comic book stories–a book that, up until that point I didn’t even know existed. We found it in the remaindered section at Two Guys, a regional low-rent department store chain, kind of like the … Continue reading BHOC: THE GREAT COMIC BOOK HEROES
Here’s another good one, my subscription copy of JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #140–so good that my brother Ken bought a second copy for himself, as he did from time to time. This was the first issue of JLA to completely fill the oversized format with a single story, an approach that would last for the … Continue reading BHOC: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #140
This next issue of SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER VILLAINS signaled a sea change for the series. Departed editor Gerry Conway’s vision of a series that united Jack Kirby’s Fourth World concepts with the mainstream Earth-1 DC heroes as well as fan-popular characters such as Manhunter wasn’t something that incoming editor Jack C Harris was interested … Continue reading BHOC: SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER-VILLAINS #5
My Uncle Jerry Blazer was a house-painted by trade. He and his wife, my Aunt Clementine, lived with my grandparents in a big house that they’d all moved into simultaneously around 1955. So he was a constant fixture in my life, though not seen quite so often as my Grandparents were. He was also the … Continue reading BHOC: WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #226
If the first issue of SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER-VILLAINS that I read, #2, was a comic book that I liked, then this next issue, #3, sealed the deal. I picked it up at my regular 7-11, and was glad to see it. So this cover represents my first encounter with Darkseid. It’s not an incredibly … Continue reading BHOC: SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER-VILLAINS #3
I saw it advertised in assorted DC Comics, as I had seen the ads for the previous issues, but I didn’t quite know what a “fanzine” was, so I never sent away for any of them. Until this point. This particular issue of THE AMAZING WORLD OF DC COMICS was said to contain “The SHOWCASE Story.” Knowing … Continue reading BHOC: AMAZING WORLD OF DC COMICS #10
A very clever and unique approach to this image, giving it an emotional weight as well as just providing information.
A pretty brilliant Jack Kirby cover to FANTASTIC FOUR. Rather than simply showing Galactus on this first appearance cover, Kirby instead chooses to focus on the reactions of the public, the FF, and most ominously, the Watch. Galactus himself isn’t seen until the final page of this issue.
Great sense of scale on this Jack Kirby STRANGE TALES cover. Most of these prototypic Marvel monster stories tended to tout the creature-of-the-month fully visibly on their covers. This piece takes the opposite tact, concealing most of the monster and creating intrigue.
A precursor to the super-packed covers of George Perez, this Jack Kirby FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL cover promises an unending stream of colorful heroes and villains within the issue, practically every character that had been devised for the relatively-new Marvel line to date. The blurb at the center works like the target of a bullseye–you can’t … Continue reading Great Covers – FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL #3
The Tom Brevoort Experience 